Scottish Executive

Air Services

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-5054 and S2W-5055 by Nicol Stephen on 26 January 2004, whether any of the routes subsidised by the Interim Route Development Fund have now been evaluated and, if so, what analysis has been made, for each evaluation that has taken place, of how many tickets were bought by people travelling to Scotland and how many were bought by people travelling from Scotland, what other data is available as a result of the evaluation and what the size of the grant was for each route.

Nicol Stephen: Currently route performance, i.e. the numbers of passengers carried on the international routes which have benefited from investment by the Scottish Executive’s Route Development Fund, is monitored on the basis of information collected through the airports as a means of assessing the applicable payment of funding. This information, which is set out in the following table, does not define the origin of the traveller.

  The Executive is part funding a detailed survey of the main Scottish airports which will be conducted by the Civil Aviation Authority during 2005. This will be used as the basis for assessing the economic impact of the routes which have benefited from the fund. The survey will cover a wide range of issues including origin of the traveller, reason for travel and mode of transport to the airport; and the results will lead to a detailed evaluation of the RDF routes.

  Investment from the fund, which is commercially confidential, goes to the airport operators to enhance the discounts offered by them.

  Route Development Fund, Scotland's Improved Connectivity, Monthly Traffic Statistics

  

Route Ref
Glasgow
Prestwick-Stockholm (Skavsta)
Glasgow Prestwick-Barcelona (Gerona)
Glasgow
Prestwick-Gothenburg (Save)
Glasgow
Prestwick-Milan (Bergamo)
Glasgow
 Int-Dubai
Glasgow
Prestwick-Rome (Ciampino)
Aberdeen-Groningen
Edinburgh-New York (Newark)


Route


Start Date
04-Apr-03
22-May-03
16-Oct-03
07-Jan-04
10-Apr-04
29-Apr-04
04-May-04
11-Jun-04


Apr-03
6,265
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


May-03
7,304
1,897
 
 
 
 
 



Jun-03
7,080
5,730
 
 
 
 
 



Jul-03
10,287
7,012
 
 
 
 
 



Aug-03
9,759
7,721
 
 
 
 
 



Sep-03
8,556
7,169
 
 
 
 
 



Oct-03
8,620
9,246
3,451
 
 
 
 



Nov-03
6,385
8,309
6,105
 
 
 
 



Dec-03
6,358
8,701
6,059
 
 
 
 



Jan-04
5,355
7,058
4,530
4,849
 
 
 



Feb-04
5,740
7,114
4,839
6,048
 
 
 



Mar-04
6,735
8,284
6,316
7,629
 
 
 



Apr-04
9,136
8,539
8,005
8,475
5,289
432
 



May-04
8,981
7,829
7,276
8,399
6,547
7,316
754



Jun-04
8,265
8,044
7,419
8,867
9,435
7,694
1,069
6,212


Jul-04
10,502
9,361
9,673
10,244
14,168
9,902
703
10,105


Aug-04
8,872
9,463
8,500
9,800
13,967
10,107
842
9,874


Sep-04
8,496
8,574
8,343
9,058
11,967
8,744
974
9,612



  Source: CAA Monthly Airport Statistics.

  Note. August and September 2004 statistics are Provisional.

Children

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a national database of children in Scotland who are at risk of significant harm, as defined in the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.

Peter Peacock: There is no national database. Each local authority keeps a list of children who are at risk on a child protection register.

Language

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether English has legal status as an official language of Scotland and, if so, what legislation confers this status.

Peter Peacock: There is no legislation that recognises English as an official language of Scotland.

Rail Network

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to S20-4329 by Nicol Stephen on 2 December 2004, what guidance will be given to project managers regarding re-establishing stations on the Airdrie to Bathgate section of the line.

Nicol Stephen: The re-establishment of an Airdrie to Bathgate rail link was a key recommendation of the Central Scotland Transport Corridor Studies. The project aims to provide fast and frequent services, creating an attractive alternative to the car and significantly improving linkage along the corridor. Re-establishing stations between Airdrie and Bathgate will be one of the key issues to be considered. These issues are, in the first instance, for the scheme promoter and in due course the relevant parliamentary committee to consider.

Rail Network

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to S2O-4329 by Nicol Stephen on 2 December 2004, what guidance will be given to project managers regarding the resiting of Bathgate station; whether the new station will continue to be served by local buses, and whether the new station will have a taxi rank.

Nicol Stephen: There are issues in the first instance for the scheme promoter and in due course for the relevant parliamentary committee to consider.

Rail Services

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to invest any savings made from the erection of ticket barriers at railway stations as part of the ScotRail franchise.

Nicol Stephen: The savings made from the erection of ticket barriers will reduce the subsidy required by the franchisee. As part of the franchise agreement there are significant proposals to improve Scotland’s railway stations.

Roads

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will break down the figure shown in table 8.02 of Draft Budget 2005-06 into (a) motorways and (b) trunk roads, detailing the total amount paid on each motorway and trunk road project for (i) 2002-03 and (ii) 2003-04; how much it estimates it will spend on such projects in each case in 2004-05, and what plans it has for motorway and trunk road projects in (1) 2005-06, (2) 2006-07 and (3) 2007-08.

Nicol Stephen: The spending totals shown in Table 8.02 of Draft Budget 2005-06 comprise the entire motorway and trunk road programme for the years shown. Table 8.10 provides a more detailed breakdown of the categories of spending on all road improvement schemes and capital construction projects. The expenditure shown in the following table provides a further breakdown of expenditure on motorway and trunk road projects costing more than £3 million in 2002-03 and 2003-04 and planned expenditure in 2004-05. Expenditure on motorway and trunk road projects individually costing less than £3 million is not broken down but is given as a total.

  

£000s
2002-03 Budget
2003-04
Budget
2004-05
Budget


(a) motorways
 
 
 


M74 Completion
10.302
17.118
22.670


M74 Maryville-Fullerton
0.002
0.009
 


M77 Ayr Road Route-residual land compensation
0.070
 
 


M77 Fenwick-Malletsheugh
3.605
2.900
1.570


M8 Baillieston-Newhouse and associated improvements
0.007
3.805
1.850


M8 Newbridge-Edinburgh City Bypass-residual land compensation
0.105
 
 


M80 Stepps-Haggs (phase 1)
 
 
1.099


M80 Stepps-Haggs (phase 2)
 
 
1.115


M80 Stepps-Haggs (phase 3)
 
 
1.099


(b) trunk roads
 
 
 


A1 Bowerhouse-Spott
5.105
0.095
0.143


A1 Haddington-Dunbar
16.460
20.275
3.626


A1 Howburn-Houndwood
3.804
1.526
0.049


A1 Spott Road-Oswald Dean
 
0.069
0.019


A68 Pathhead-Tynehead
 
0.009
0.316


A68 Soutra-South Oxton
 
0.013
0.223


A7 Auchenrivoch
 
0.050
0.311


A7 Glenmayne-Yair
 
0.028
0.316


A7 Hawick Traffic Relief
0.299
0.002
 


A720 Dreghorn-Lothianburn
0.180
0.010
 


A720 Edinburgh City Bypass Phase 2
0.018
 
 


A74(M) Residual land purchases
0.618
 
 


A75 Cairntop-Barlae
0.281
0.323
0.275


A75 Dunragit re-alignment
0.140
0.279
0.205


A75 Hardgrove-Kinmount
0.083
0.106
0.177


A75 The Glen
0.059
 
 


A76 Glenairlie
 
0.011
0.246


A77 Drummockloch-Innermessan
 
0.049
0.320


A77 Haggstone climbing lane
 
0.063
0.320


A78 Ardrossan-Stevenston
0.976
14.386
20.385


A8 Baillieston-Newhouse maintenance project
1.985
17.176
3.361


A80 Auchenkilns
1.390
4.655
9.351


A830 Arisaig-Kinsadel
5.381
0.593
0.366


A830 Arisaig-Loch Nan Uamh
0.155
0.397
0.300


A876 Kincardine Bridge
 
0.025
1.400


A9 Ballinluig
 
0.060
0.521


A9 Helmsdale Phase 1
0.609
1.106
2.520


A9 Helmsdale Phase 2
 
0.632
0.200


A90 Aberdeen Western Peripheral route
 
0.687
5.737


A90 Forfar grade separation (Kirriemuir and Glamis)
3.888
0.603
0.235


A90 Glendoick interchange
0.100
0.057
0.050


A90 Inchmichael
0.141
0.205
0.235


A90 Inchture
0.607
0.841
0.238


A90 Kinfauns
0.044
0.054
0.050


A93 Preston-Balfarg
0.668
1.431
0.100


A96 Blackburn-Kintore bypass
0.791
0.158
 


A96 Coachford climbing lane
0.146
0.569
2.050


A96 Fochabers and Mosstodloch bypass
0.327
0.360
0.200


A96 Newtongarry climbing lane
0.677
0.968
0.016


A985 Kincardine Eastern Link Road
1.323
9.761
5.105


Small schemes under £3 million
19.998
25.304
36.267



  Notes:

  1. It should be noted that the figures quoted above show actual expenditure for previous years and anticipated expenditure and are not in real terms at 2004-05 prices.

  2. Further expenditure may be brought forward for projects in 2004-05.

  The following major projects are planned to be taken forward between 2005-06 and 2007-08: M74 Completion, M8 Baillieston-Newhouse and associated improvements, M80 Stepps-Haggs, A90 Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, the new Upper Forth crossing at Kincardine, A96 Fochabers and Mosstodloch Bypass. In addition there are a number of schemes planned on the A77 to improve access to the ferry port at Stranraer, together with schemes arising from route action plans on the A68, A7, A75, A76, A9, A90 and A96. Expenditure on all these projects and their construction start dates is subject to the satisfactory completion of the statutory procedures for each scheme.

  A830 Arisaig-Loch Nan Uamh and A9 Helmsdale Phases 1 and 2 are being taken forward in addition to the trunk road programme to take advantage of potential funding from the Highland and Islands Transitional European funding. Construction is programmed to start subject to the satisfactory completion of statutory procedures.

Schools

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of violence and antisocial behaviour against local authority school staff there were in each local authority area in (a) 2001-02 and (b) 2002-03, broken down by (i) sector and (ii) type of incident.

Peter Peacock: Reported incidents of violence and anti-social behaviour against local authority school staff for these years, including breakdowns in the form requested, are available in the spreadsheet provided alongside the statistical publication "Incidents of Violence and Anti-social Behaviour against Local Authority School Staff 2002-03". These are available on the Scottish Executive website at:

  www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00318-00.asp. However, as the spreadsheet makes clear, use of this data to make simple comparisons between authorities is likely to result in misleading conclusions.

  A separate and more reliable view of the disciplinary situation in Scottish schools was provided by the research report ‘Discipline in Scottish Schools: a comparative study over time of teachers’ and headteachers’ perceptions", by Pamela Munn, Margaret Johnstone and Stephen Sharp. Among a range of findings, this study reported that 2% of primary school teachers and 8% of secondary teachers reported physical aggression towards them or other staff in a typical week. The main findings of this report, and other information on behaviour, are summarised in the Executive’s Policy Update on Better Behaviour in Scottish Schools, launched on 4 October 2004 and available at:

  www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/education/bbssu-00.asp.